tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18161316960836851082017-09-26T14:08:20.068-07:00Friends of Herrontown WoodsStephen Hiltnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13814809440369173963noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1816131696083685108.post-49973066914713677002017-09-26T14:08:00.000-07:002017-09-26T14:08:20.125-07:00Encountering Nature, Science and History in Herrontown Woods<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eL9i15kb3s8/Wb48wAhNCNI/AAAAAAAB7gw/p3lprU39yvkphP_MTKKl4JJ21Er_U0tegCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_0540.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eL9i15kb3s8/Wb48wAhNCNI/AAAAAAAB7gw/p3lprU39yvkphP_MTKKl4JJ21Er_U0tegCKgBGAs/s400/IMG_0540.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />The Friends of Herrontown Woods and Princeton Veterans of Science and Technology co-hosted a science history and nature walk at Herrontown Woods Sept. 10. Reversing the usual sequence of events, we fueled up on refreshments and conversation next to the Veblen House before heading up the trails.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Q9ZCg1OX1Eg/WcqkGLkG3YI/AAAAAAAB77o/DTBnhFMTyOsJPGFIYExW2Yr6XMmaF4JmQCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_0806.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1511" data-original-width="1600" height="377" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Q9ZCg1OX1Eg/WcqkGLkG3YI/AAAAAAAB77o/DTBnhFMTyOsJPGFIYExW2Yr6XMmaF4JmQCKgBGAs/s400/IMG_0806.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />Some of the many books related to Oswald Veblen's mathematical and environmental legacy were available for perusal. George Dyson's <i>Turing's Cathedral</i> devotes a chapter to Oswald Veblen's contributions to early computer development. Veblen's on the cover of local writer Linda Arntzenius' book about the <i>Institute for Advanced Study</i>, and Steve Batterson's book about the Institute's early years, entitled <i>Pursuit of Genius</i>. A new book, <i>The Usefulness of Useless Knowledge</i>, doesn't mention Veblen, but author and IAS director Robbert Dijkraaf was kind enough to sign a couple copies to Veblen, "The first professor of the IAS", and "who brought the IAS to Princeton!" The Veblens are part of Sylvia Nasar's description of Princeton in the "Center of the Universe" chapter of&nbsp;<i>A Beautiful Mind</i>. And Theory of the Leisure Class is the most well-known book of Veblen's uncle Thorstein, who influenced economic and social thought in the early 20th Century and coined the term "conspicuous consumption."<br /><br />Another book that made the trip is <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B277Q_EGwey_VlhFUG1UVGFHMlE/view"><i>Herrontown Woods: A Guide to a Natural Preserve</i></a>, by Richard J. Kramer, a Rutgers grad student who wrote the book as part of his dissertation research back in 1971.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Jr7-VPMvdBg/Wb48wImVSsI/AAAAAAAB7gw/aTvAPm5Y7B8GJXaQTSLD6CCOfil66iUyQCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_0538.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Jr7-VPMvdBg/Wb48wImVSsI/AAAAAAAB7gw/aTvAPm5Y7B8GJXaQTSLD6CCOfil66iUyQCKgBGAs/s400/IMG_0538.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />Stan de Riel gave an impromptu talk about pawpaws and puffballs, including some pawpaws to taste.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/--aN2R_HbdOM/Wb48wIE0flI/AAAAAAAB7gw/u7EweWizFv0WbNLWCrf9QprmhiuFXEnCgCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_0552.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/--aN2R_HbdOM/Wb48wIE0flI/AAAAAAAB7gw/u7EweWizFv0WbNLWCrf9QprmhiuFXEnCgCKgBGAs/s400/IMG_0552.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />Along the blue trail, we first heard and then saw a pileated woodpecker, and the vertical, rectangular evidence of its past feastings.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bMqC-9ZQsrQ/Wb48wC0W_3I/AAAAAAAB7gw/u99Xb0Z-g3EOdFkjDrIjP4ap3w4megW2gCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_0564.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1152" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bMqC-9ZQsrQ/Wb48wC0W_3I/AAAAAAAB7gw/u99Xb0Z-g3EOdFkjDrIjP4ap3w4megW2gCKgBGAs/s400/IMG_0564.JPG" width="287" /></a></div><br />It's been a good year for dodder, a parasitic plant that wraps its orange stems around more normal green plants, the better to feast upon them.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tnPyxcUVuc0/Wb48wL4dGKI/AAAAAAAB7gw/7Ri1vJniNJ84QzAo4lNIkYC6oyTBtI6jQCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_0562.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tnPyxcUVuc0/Wb48wL4dGKI/AAAAAAAB7gw/7Ri1vJniNJ84QzAo4lNIkYC6oyTBtI6jQCKgBGAs/s400/IMG_0562.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />It was heartening to see how the dodder was preying upon the massive expanse of invasive mugwort extending along the gas pipeline right of way that divides Herrontown Woods in two. If the mugwort could be discouraged somewhat, other plants would have a chance to share the space.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SOMGJwz_jqw/Wb48wFteBVI/AAAAAAAB7gw/gybz0IrDP0c0gD6hKrFXMRNWWgfbSRAcQCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_0561.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SOMGJwz_jqw/Wb48wFteBVI/AAAAAAAB7gw/gybz0IrDP0c0gD6hKrFXMRNWWgfbSRAcQCKgBGAs/s400/IMG_0561.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />The new blue trail route passes by many cavities in the ground where the diabase rock was quarried long ago.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Sw_K_RviJug/Wb48wPB4ASI/AAAAAAAB7gw/R95IqkzUwisHTyKI37oIU0OpYOKUOdFjwCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_0559.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1062" data-original-width="1600" height="265" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Sw_K_RviJug/Wb48wPB4ASI/AAAAAAAB7gw/R95IqkzUwisHTyKI37oIU0OpYOKUOdFjwCKgBGAs/s400/IMG_0559.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />Drill marks show how the rocks were split into manageable blocks for toting away to places as yet unknown. One approach was to drill a series of holes in a long line, then put dry wooden pegs in the holes and add water. The expansion of the wood would provide enough pressure to crack the rocks. This imitates the way tree roots extend into cracks in rocks, then slowly expand with each year's growth until the rock splits. Small amounts of pressure well applied can have great power.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HRvl5dUSd4c/Wb48wMt4NzI/AAAAAAAB7gw/KtUBfntzDbkX4MGdseXOCJ1JrRN2LhgXQCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_0555.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1155" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HRvl5dUSd4c/Wb48wMt4NzI/AAAAAAAB7gw/KtUBfntzDbkX4MGdseXOCJ1JrRN2LhgXQCKgBGAs/s400/IMG_0555.JPG" width="288" /></a></div><br />This mushroom is about a foot high, and very solid.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ztBjzKwPVaM/Wb48wFBD1zI/AAAAAAAB7gw/I7n91huG8wc2HTPqOwwURbDulux9W4d9wCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_0553.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ztBjzKwPVaM/Wb48wFBD1zI/AAAAAAAB7gw/I7n91huG8wc2HTPqOwwURbDulux9W4d9wCKgBGAs/s400/IMG_0553.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />It's growing out of the cavity left by a fallen tree, much like a similar one found during last year's mushroom walk.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hagKzGwJ-og/Wb48wPZLyXI/AAAAAAAB7gw/mp5CqkD2RgUfZ3qvfhqfJtt9NPvyfxeDgCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_0556.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hagKzGwJ-og/Wb48wPZLyXI/AAAAAAAB7gw/mp5CqkD2RgUfZ3qvfhqfJtt9NPvyfxeDgCKgBGAs/s400/IMG_0556.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />One of the walkers mentioned how bats use shagbark hickories for roosting at night. Sure enough, the internet is full of <a href="http://www.batmanagement.com/roosttrees/roosttrees.html">testimonials</a>, by people if not the bats themselves.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7BEwU8HKu7o/Wb48wPfbqSI/AAAAAAAB7gw/6yFCl7da7N4RyLkbIYTWoytX83SlYiYNACKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_0557.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7BEwU8HKu7o/Wb48wPfbqSI/AAAAAAAB7gw/6yFCl7da7N4RyLkbIYTWoytX83SlYiYNACKgBGAs/s400/IMG_0557.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />2017 is a great year for stalking wild hickory nuts, Euell Gibbons-style. All sorts of fruits and nuts are offering up bumper crops this year--pawpaws, Chinese chestnuts, hickories...<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/--Bz3txEQjTM/Wb48wN0j-jI/AAAAAAAB7gw/HBqQgkKNZYwsdTOQoRrxW9b6aHMmu3fFACKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_0551.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/--Bz3txEQjTM/Wb48wN0j-jI/AAAAAAAB7gw/HBqQgkKNZYwsdTOQoRrxW9b6aHMmu3fFACKgBGAs/s400/IMG_0551.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />Passing by this highly photogenic beech tree along the neu-blue trail, friends Jeff and Fairfax expressed a strong interest in seeing the cardinal flowers, which appropriately are further into the woods on the red trail.<br /><br />We headed over that way and, though I could not see it with the naked eye,<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-e3Jum3TKaLI/Wb48wBNBNfI/AAAAAAAB7gw/aZFRyZ64UgMUr0J3fO7Pi2UHN5t7JbRYACKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_0549.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-e3Jum3TKaLI/Wb48wBNBNfI/AAAAAAAB7gw/aZFRyZ64UgMUr0J3fO7Pi2UHN5t7JbRYACKgBGAs/s400/IMG_0549.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />my camera captured the celestial light that bathed them as they encountered the cardinal flowers growing where this most pure of Harry's Brook's tributaries flows from the preserved headwater lands of Herrontown Woods. It's amazing what iPhones can detect.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-K988S3J1nUw/Wb48wNGumBI/AAAAAAAB7gw/uOqX-rePBcsdFdL3npnL9gPnUuOV4ih5ACKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_0550.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1086" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-K988S3J1nUw/Wb48wNGumBI/AAAAAAAB7gw/uOqX-rePBcsdFdL3npnL9gPnUuOV4ih5ACKgBGAs/s400/IMG_0550.JPG" width="271" /></a></div><br />Here is the cardinal flower, <i>Lobelia cardinalis</i> for long.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rFH3alKY2Ts/Wb5CCpF2AZI/AAAAAAAB7hw/pJF3RGKQYsUt7vdIQDTr1PYNDB7KDZqrACKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_0579.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rFH3alKY2Ts/Wb5CCpF2AZI/AAAAAAAB7hw/pJF3RGKQYsUt7vdIQDTr1PYNDB7KDZqrACKgBGAs/s400/IMG_0579.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />On the way out, hikers helped themselves to pawpaw plants, grown from local wild seed by Stan. The remaining seedlings will become another pawpaw patch in Herrontown Woods.<br /><br />Thanks to all who participated and made this another pleasurable walk through lands preserved long ago by the far-sighted Veblens.<br /><br />Stephen Hiltnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13814809440369173963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1816131696083685108.post-16840282140058788942017-09-08T12:21:00.002-07:002017-09-08T16:03:15.818-07:00 Science/Nature Walk, Sunday, Sept 10, at 10am<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>The Friends of Herrontown Woods and Princeton Veterans of Science and Technology will co-host a science history and nature walk at Herrontown Woods this coming Sunday at 10am. Meet at the <a href="http://www.fohw.org/p/maps.html">main parking lot</a>, across from the entrance to Smoyer Park on Snowden Lane. We'll first head up to Veblen House, to discuss Veblen's role in bringing great scientific minds and nature together in Princeton in the 1930s. A walk through Herrontown Woods will follow, with refreshments afterwards next to Veblen House.<br /><br /><b>In other news, some posts with recent research on Veblen House:</b><br /><br /><a href="http://veblenhouse.blogspot.com/2017/09/writers-stephen-dixon-and-eb-white-and.html">Writers Stephen Dixon and E.B. White, and the Veblen Cottage in Brooklin, Maine</a>&nbsp;-- The Veblens spent their summers at a beachfront cottage in a small town known at one time for its herring (think Herringtown). Correspondence with writer Stephen Dixon, who rented the cottage after the Veblens were gone, has given us insight into the cottage's special qualities. E.B. White lived in Brooklin year-round, five miles north of the Veblens, and based Charlotte's Web on his farm, which happens to be for sale.<br /><br /><a href="http://princetonnaturenotes.blogspot.com/2017/08/black-vultures-close-up-photoshoot-and.html">Black Vultures Close Up--A Photoshoot and Princeton History</a>&nbsp;-- Like the spider in E.B. White's Charlotte's Web, the black vulture couple that raised its two fledglings at the Veblen Cottage this year was surprisingly engaging. The weaker of the two fledglings was slow to fly, and was still at the cottage this week.<br /><br /><a href="http://veblenhouse.blogspot.com/2017/07/happy-birthday-christine-paschall-davis.html">Happy Birthday, Christine Paschall Davis Stuart</a>&nbsp;-- Daughter-in-law of the Whiton-Stuarts--the builders and first residents of what later became Veblen House--Christine was the daughter of Norman Davis, ambassador-at-large for President Roosevelt, and led the Red Cross during WWII.Stephen Hiltnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13814809440369173963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1816131696083685108.post-32063770025162770192017-08-08T08:25:00.000-07:002017-08-09T09:01:10.236-07:00At Long Last, a Chance to Repair Veblen House!It's official! Mercer County and Princeton have come to an <a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B277Q_EGwey_WnBLZXIxalF4N2c">agreement</a> to transfer ownership of Herrontown Woods to the town. Princeton has agreed to include the buildings in the transfer, and work out an agreement to allow the Friends of Herrontown Woods (FOHW) the opportunity to repair and utilize them for a public purpose.<br /><br /><div>After years of opposing plans to demolish the Veblen House, farm cottage, barn and corncrib at Herrontown Woods, FOHW is thrilled that we will now be allowed to take the next step, and begin realizing the Veblens' vision for the buildings. Princeton gave our group permission to restore the trails and habitats over the past four years, and we have long wanted to apply that restorative energy to the buildings as well. The Veblens loved nature, and loved bringing people together. They donated the house and cottage to serve as a gathering place along what has become a magnificent corridor of preserved open space in eastern Princeton. <br /><br />We're thankful to all those in the community who have expressed their support, and to the mayor and town council for giving this initiative the chance it deserves. We look forward to working with the town to make Herrontown Woods and its cultural legacy a great asset for Princeton. FOHW has received sufficient donations and pledges to fund Phase I of the renovations. Additional tax-deductible donations and pledges will be needed to make the house a place for public gatherings. Please consider supporting our initiative&nbsp;<a href="http://www.fohw.org/p/donate_14.html">online or by mail</a>.<br /><br />Filling a gap in stewardship in our community, we like to think of ourselves as The Little Nonprofit That Could. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wXURiPUpFe8/WXEHtbNQNJI/AAAAAAAB3dQ/XS6PgA0P0JQsDtDAmB0mKwEyO4XuxXj8wCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_9643.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wXURiPUpFe8/WXEHtbNQNJI/AAAAAAAB3dQ/XS6PgA0P0JQsDtDAmB0mKwEyO4XuxXj8wCKgBGAs/s400/IMG_9643.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />Here's some of the latest news about our doings, beginning with an upbeat article in the Town Topics three weeks ago.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JEJdTtAHiWQ/WYTxHMd5hNI/AAAAAAAB4Y4/bGzU0D1tMCwVwMo1jzeFRvQwTsAm0vxbACKgBGAs/s1600/HWswimmingPool.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JEJdTtAHiWQ/WYTxHMd5hNI/AAAAAAAB4Y4/bGzU0D1tMCwVwMo1jzeFRvQwTsAm0vxbACKgBGAs/s400/HWswimmingPool.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />The following Sunday, we led a nature walk along the newly reconfigured Blue and Red trails in Herrontown Woods. Portions of these trails were chronically wet during winter and spring, but board member Kurt Tazelaar found drier and more scenic routes for them, and led workdays to do the rerouting. We stopped at an old "swimming pool" dug in the 1960s, which now serves as excellent habitat for amphibians.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1wqBaT-WTGk/WYTxHED9JmI/AAAAAAAB4Y4/u9BrZE043c873QSGpHpHtQVJOOvawJo0wCKgBGAs/s1600/FrogSwimmingPoolHW.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1wqBaT-WTGk/WYTxHED9JmI/AAAAAAAB4Y4/u9BrZE043c873QSGpHpHtQVJOOvawJo0wCKgBGAs/s400/FrogSwimmingPoolHW.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />A frog sits well-disguised, in what looks more like abstract art than mud.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zYbHlYnfwAQ/WYTxHNWZaHI/AAAAAAAB4Y4/x4euoExL2cg0Oxd0VPKYTxB3WYFO8P3ywCKgBGAs/s1600/frogZoom.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1233" data-original-width="879" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zYbHlYnfwAQ/WYTxHNWZaHI/AAAAAAAB4Y4/x4euoExL2cg0Oxd0VPKYTxB3WYFO8P3ywCKgBGAs/s400/frogZoom.JPG" width="285" /></a></div><br />Here's a closer look.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9qlgi5q0HXY/WXEIKvE5jSI/AAAAAAAB3dY/e3yaeKeMX1kciax65WMNyZOV-Yy6JXt1gCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_9596.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9qlgi5q0HXY/WXEIKvE5jSI/AAAAAAAB3dY/e3yaeKeMX1kciax65WMNyZOV-Yy6JXt1gCKgBGAs/s400/IMG_9596.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />Another project that's coming along well is the native meadow at Smoyer Park, across Snowden Lane from Herrontown Woods. In response to a suggestion by FOHW, the large detention basin that receives runoff from the parking lot was planted last year with native grasses and wildflowers by the federal agency, Partners for Fish and Wildlife, with permission from the town. The Friends of Herrontown Woods has done the followup work, removing invasive species before they can get established, and adding additional wildflower species.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GUlER-hVGV0/WHTxaP_FgpI/AAAAAAABt1I/O6BC04eiQMklz_Rd6OcVSXBN3xD7ltfngCLcB/s1600/Roosevelts%2Bmother%2Bat%2Brobert%2BWhiton%2BStuart%2Bwedding.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GUlER-hVGV0/WHTxaP_FgpI/AAAAAAABt1I/O6BC04eiQMklz_Rd6OcVSXBN3xD7ltfngCLcB/s400/Roosevelts%2Bmother%2Bat%2Brobert%2BWhiton%2BStuart%2Bwedding.png" width="265" /></a></div><div><br /></div><br />Herrontown Woods, which in 1957 became Princeton's first nature preserve, is full of natural and cultural history, of which the buildings are a vital part. Along with all the hands-on work to care for the nature preserve and its buildings, FOHW is also researching the fascinating lives of those who lived at Veblen House. The Veblen House was built by a patrician family from Manhattan in the 1930s, the Whiton-Stuarts. The cottage, more frequently seen because it's located along the main trail at Herrontown Woods, was built by subsistence farmers in 1875. Together, they offer a portrait that stretches across economic classes and centuries. Some of the remarkable history, with connections to the great scientists, politicians and philanthropists of the 20th century, can be found at <a href="http://veblenhouse.org/">VeblenHouse.org</a>. <br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /></div>Stephen Hiltnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13814809440369173963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1816131696083685108.post-52595490650057565802017-07-11T16:12:00.001-07:002017-07-16T04:51:30.066-07:00Nature Walk Sunday, July 16, 1pm<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ycX19utiT6k/WWVWu3pTgtI/AAAAAAAB2-Y/EemeSzLvUqYffHlqY3y6FiKb28GVgqOMgCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_9438.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ycX19utiT6k/WWVWu3pTgtI/AAAAAAAB2-Y/EemeSzLvUqYffHlqY3y6FiKb28GVgqOMgCKgBGAs/s400/IMG_9438.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />Join the Friends of Herrontown Woods on Sunday July 16 at 1pm for a celebratory and interpretive walk along the "new blue trail", which winds through mature forest and early 20th century quarry sites in a seldom seen area of the boulder-strewn preserve. Board member Kurt Tazelaar worked hundreds of hours this spring to find a drier and more interesting route for the Blue Trail, which was impassible in late winter and spring. The walk will end at Veblen House, the historic house and grounds of the renowned mathematician, visionary and close colleague of Einstein, Oswald Veblen. FOHW is restoring the grounds and negotiating to save the finely crafted house.<br /><br />Meet at the Herrontown Woods parking lot, off Snowden Lane, across from the entrance to Smoyer Park. Maps can be found at this <a href="http://www.fohw.org/p/maps.html">link</a>.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-96MNYP5Sm5k/WWVZupByr3I/AAAAAAAB3AI/mR8FlcC29mEwRl0JXKf1R9FKMOsw8s2kgCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_9435.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="856" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-96MNYP5Sm5k/WWVZupByr3I/AAAAAAAB3AI/mR8FlcC29mEwRl0JXKf1R9FKMOsw8s2kgCKgBGAs/s640/IMG_9435.JPG" width="342" /></a></div><br />Photos are of black cohosh, blooming now along the ridge of the preserve, and green-fringed orchid, discovered by the Friends and protected from mowing on the Veblen grounds.<br /><br />The most recent research on the remarkable lives of former occupants of the Veblen House can be found in a post entitled, <a href="http://happy%20111th%2C%20sylvia%20jean%20whiton-stuart%20hatch%20turnure%20alcott/">Happy 111th, Sylvia Jean Whiton-Stuart Hatch Turnure Olcott</a>.Stephen Hiltnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13814809440369173963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1816131696083685108.post-48850523187162133072017-06-17T13:13:00.001-07:002017-06-17T15:30:37.839-07:00Removing Invasive Species at Herrontown WoodsThanks to Scott Sillars, Julia Eizenkop, and Dylan Regan for helping pull garlic mustard this past weekend before it goes to seed. The garlic mustard seedpods, visible in the foreground of the photo, are still green and are now safely bagged up. If this is done every year, the garlic mustard diminish in numbers each year until their reservoir of seeds in the soil is exhausted.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rrTfVsXplGQ/WUWGxDG4zNI/AAAAAAAB0kE/_3tD0o5caeUMjB0_OWjBwKLcilP-qSwwQCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_9089.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rrTfVsXplGQ/WUWGxDG4zNI/AAAAAAAB0kE/_3tD0o5caeUMjB0_OWjBwKLcilP-qSwwQCKgBGAs/s640/IMG_9089.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>The threat posed by invasive plant species has been greatly reduced over the past couple years, including the Wisteria, a pretty but much too aggressive vine that until recently had been smothering trees and the Veblen House grounds. FOHW has also worked with neighbors of the park to prevent the spread of lesser celandine into the preserve, and FOHW board members Kurt and Sally have continued to open up long-obscured vistas by cutting down invasive honeysuckles, privet, barberry, and especially the winged euonymus.<br /><br />These volunteer efforts have been augmented by the town's hiring of a professional crew to remove Japanese aralia and other less common invasives in Herrontown Woods and in other Princeton preserves like Mountain Lakes. <br /><br />Invasive species are often considered an intractable problem, but we find that by being strategic and persistent, a great deal of progress can be made.Stephen Hiltnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13814809440369173963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1816131696083685108.post-68691281692467324902017-06-09T12:06:00.001-07:002017-06-09T12:06:16.183-07:00Garlic Mustard Pulling This Sunday, June 11<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ED4QsDSIVjQ/WTrV3o0UjXI/AAAAAAAB0cY/cYVvwE8-tFIr-zu73Jg2qKdcOML7WN8gACKgB/s1600/IMG_9074.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ED4QsDSIVjQ/WTrV3o0UjXI/AAAAAAAB0cY/cYVvwE8-tFIr-zu73Jg2qKdcOML7WN8gACKgB/s400/IMG_9074.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />Join us at the Veblen House this Sunday, June 11 at 10am, before the day heats up, to pull garlic mustard before its seedpods have a chance to burst. We'll have some refreshments on hand, the better to socialize while snipping off the seedpods. Veblen House is up the gravel driveway across the street from 443 Herrontown Rd, or walk up from the main Herrontown Woods parking lot off of Snowden (<a href="http://www.fohw.org/p/maps.html">map here</a>).<br /><br />The Friends of Herrontown Woods has transformed the grounds of the Veblen House in recent years, removing invasives, opening up sight-lines and exposing interesting historic features. A crew hired by the town of Princeton also assisted this past summer, removing the very thorny Japanese aralia. Removal of garlic mustard is an important step towards repopulating the property with native plants.<br /><br /><br /><br />UPDATE ON VEBLEN HOUSE:<br /><br />Thanks to the town's intervention, the county has at least temporarily suspended movement towards demolition of the Veblen buildings. FOHW is seeking to work with the town and county in the interim to determine a way by which FOHW could begin repairs on the structures and put them to use. FOHW is proud of having taken the initiative over the past four years to restore and maintain Herrontown Woods, and believes it has proven itself up to the task of repairing the buildings as well.<br /><br /><br />Stephen Hiltnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13814809440369173963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1816131696083685108.post-50815933086860837502017-05-09T09:56:00.002-07:002017-05-10T06:57:56.802-07:00FOHW Asks Princeton Council for SupportEleven supporters of the initiative to save the Veblen House attended the Princeton council meeting last night, and spoke during public comment about their love for Herrontown Woods, and the important role the Veblen buildings play as landmarks and gathering places in the landscape there. Important points were made, about living up to the Veblens' wishes as described in their will and deed, recent fundraising achievements, the questionable cost estimates in the county's Conditions Assessment, and the need to apply creativity and resourcefulness to the dilemma of the houses, when a one-size-fits-all approach has not yielded solutions.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bcLCnswWKi4/WRGVwcpErpI/AAAAAAABzJw/vKtrpatZSm0cL2JdffzYuTpQchoDBhe4wCKgB/s1600/IMG_8672.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="442" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bcLCnswWKi4/WRGVwcpErpI/AAAAAAABzJw/vKtrpatZSm0cL2JdffzYuTpQchoDBhe4wCKgB/s640/IMG_8672.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />Afterwards, the thought occurred that those legally responsible for Herrontown Woods and the Veblen buildings have viewed them through a prism of liability rather than responsibility, and it is the Friends of Herrontown Woods that has come along and taken the responsibilities as described in the Veblen will and deed seriously. We are, in a sense, like unofficial foster parents who stepped into a void of care and have for four years provided the care the land and trails needed. Now we wish to take on the buildings as well, and are offering a way to "parent" the buildings. It's an approach that takes the buildings as they are, recognizes quality and potential where others point to flaws, sees worth in them at every step along the way, rather than deeming the buildings worthless unless they attain a certain level of achievement.<br /><br />Thus far, as we fulfill each requirement to be judged fit for this new "parenting" role, another requirement is added. We understand it is a serious undertaking, but we believe the hurdles should not be made overly rigid and onerous, and that we should be recognized and respected as the one entity that has taken seriously the caretaker responsibilities.<br /><br />Thanks to Pam, Sally, Margaret, Mia, Inge, Wendy, Lee, Stephanie, Victoria, and Huck, for attending and speaking out.<br /><br /><b>Note:</b> Attendance at the next council meeting, May 22, may prove important as well, if a formal resolution to support FOHW's initiative is introduced, discussed, and voted on.<br /><br />Stephen Hiltnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13814809440369173963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1816131696083685108.post-28450303478982065282017-05-07T04:58:00.000-07:002017-05-12T13:40:59.488-07:00May Showers, May Flowers, and a Bright Red Barn Rising in the Woods<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fN4lu-Ofyoc/WQ72fbDSHVI/AAAAAAABzDI/sCPQyX3BMvcSrIAFx-KdP3RzpdwOkEIHgCKgB/s1600/IMG_8655.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fN4lu-Ofyoc/WQ72fbDSHVI/AAAAAAABzDI/sCPQyX3BMvcSrIAFx-KdP3RzpdwOkEIHgCKgB/s400/IMG_8655.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />Our Saturday morning walk at Herrontown Woods, one of three in Princeton to celebrate Sophie Glovier's newly updated and republished book, "<a href="https://www.facebook.com/Walk-the-Trails-in-and-around-Princeton-288484611593761">Walks Across Princeton</a>", was wet and wonderful, as advertised. We sidestepped patches of mud, hopped from stone to stone, and in the muddiest patch, Zoe Brooks demonstrated proper trail etiquette by picking up a friend with less mud-friendly shoes.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MUXdENnNR68/WQ74wB-ugmI/AAAAAAABzDo/Qr1JOrJqqhwyLrpOanXPakUCx7lkjWL9ACKgB/s1600/IMG_8638.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MUXdENnNR68/WQ74wB-ugmI/AAAAAAABzDo/Qr1JOrJqqhwyLrpOanXPakUCx7lkjWL9ACKgB/s400/IMG_8638.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />The muddy patches seemed a minor tradeoff for all the joys that water brings to Herrontown Woods. The day before, after a long rain, the abundant flow added its own art to the moss- and lichen-patterned boulders, cascading down from the preserved headwaters of this tributary of Harry's Brook.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-a1bXHrFrHWo/WQ74wBbLfYI/AAAAAAABzDo/zY1hhJqnqB8YYH8J1i6sXTCsSdZ3CALMwCKgB/s1600/IMG_8634.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-a1bXHrFrHWo/WQ74wBbLfYI/AAAAAAABzDo/zY1hhJqnqB8YYH8J1i6sXTCsSdZ3CALMwCKgB/s400/IMG_8634.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />Dormant rivulets came to life, and stones laid for stream crossing disappeared as water became ascendent.<br /><br />These timeless patterns of nature inspire even as the Friends of Herrontown Woods is working full steam ahead to save the Veblen House and other structures from an undeserved demolition. The Little Nonprofit that Could is straining at the seams as it pulls its train of logic up the hill, seeking to convince the powers that be to allow it to begin needed repairs to make these wonderful buildings an enduring part of Herrontown Woods' natural and cultural landscape.<br /><br />(Proofreading this post, I see that the photo is saying "full stream ahead", a nice bit of serendipity.)<br /><br />During the walk, while some of us identified wildflowers along the path, others carried on conversations about fundraising strategies.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3Gizem6Lpbs/WQ77qHEVEjI/AAAAAAABzEE/Diqum8C7d18uxqn_lp0tvrmo4GalfDTkQCLcB/s1600/170506ShowyOrchis.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3Gizem6Lpbs/WQ77qHEVEjI/AAAAAAABzEE/Diqum8C7d18uxqn_lp0tvrmo4GalfDTkQCLcB/s400/170506ShowyOrchis.JPG" width="397" /></a></div><br />The full streams of the day before had receded in time for yesterday's walk, allowing us to see some of the wildflowers along the way. There are only two spots we know of where this special wildflower grows along the Princeton Ridge. It's called showy orchis, and we hear stories of how crowds of photographers would gather at Herrontown Woods to capture its beauty when it was in bloom.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mScYEPdua_w/WQ72ffTB8xI/AAAAAAABzDI/wjPBG95p6cE5mNFNGdeEwv0jdvIaIm27gCKgB/s1600/IMG_8659.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="233" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mScYEPdua_w/WQ72ffTB8xI/AAAAAAABzDI/wjPBG95p6cE5mNFNGdeEwv0jdvIaIm27gCKgB/s320/IMG_8659.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />Another plant that has only been found growing wild in two spots in Princeton is the hearts 'a bustin (Euonymus americanus). Deer love it, therefore its rareness, compared to the ubiquitous nonnative winged Euonymus.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aIWaaz2atRM/WQ72feyXh4I/AAAAAAABzDI/PdDh1qZCH5I-STR2Kv6s7lbhRdEPlYpRgCKgB/s1600/IMG_8656.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="261" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aIWaaz2atRM/WQ72feyXh4I/AAAAAAABzDI/PdDh1qZCH5I-STR2Kv6s7lbhRdEPlYpRgCKgB/s400/IMG_8656.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />There's a caterpillar that also likes the native species, dealing a blow to most of its leaves. Ecosystems work by having the solar energy captured by plants move up the foodchain, e.g. as insects eat the plants and birds eat the insects. The nonnative Euonymus doesn't get eaten, outcompetes natives, and the forest becomes progressively less edible to wildlife. We've been "eating" the winged euonymus with our loppers, and interestingly, the deer have begun collaborating to some extent by eating the resprouts after we cut down the large bushes. The resprouts may be more edible because they haven't had time to manufacture the chemicals that put off the deer. In any case, we hope to make the native hearts 'a bustin more common, if a balance between plant and the wildlife that consume it can be struck.<br /><br />There are also only two patches of a mysterious Viburnum species, still unidentified, and two Hepaticas known to grow along the ridge (not found during this walk), and two houses (the Veblen House and cottage--still there, at least for now).<br /><br />Further into the walk, we stopped at the cliff, which is at the end of a short side trail that's not on the map. One participant saw a patch of blue in the distance and asked about it. That, I explained, is the blue tarp protecting the Veblen Cottage from rain until we can get access to do repairs. There's something very appealing about seeing a building in the distance, surrounded by woods. Many of the vistas at Herrontown Woods have been restored in recent years, as Friends of Herrontown Woods volunteers cut down the invasive shrubs that have blocked the views over time. The cliff, itself, was rediscovered only a couple years ago, when we happened to be working on a trail down below it, and saw a rock edifice that we'd only heard stories about. Herrontown Woods reveals its secrets slowly.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wyd9zZjtkkw/WQ72fVV8VwI/AAAAAAABzDI/75XzMR8-5e8_Or7ZJnYEEJs9M5mKrUdsgCKgB/s1600/IMG_8660.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wyd9zZjtkkw/WQ72fVV8VwI/AAAAAAABzDI/75XzMR8-5e8_Or7ZJnYEEJs9M5mKrUdsgCKgB/s320/IMG_8660.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />Heading towards the Veblen cottage and house, I happened to see a tiny flower along the trails edge. It's a parasitic plant called one-flowered broomrape. Here's a short article found online about <a href="http://easthamptonstar.com/Outdoors/4/Nature-Notes-Parasite-Plants">parasitic plants</a>.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4peiWBAQnCk/WQ721pM4LII/AAAAAAABzDQ/qu1CF_tQ4u4PmOEL4AklY9IP6mK_rtGkACKgB/s1600/IMG_8621.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4peiWBAQnCk/WQ721pM4LII/AAAAAAABzDQ/qu1CF_tQ4u4PmOEL4AklY9IP6mK_rtGkACKgB/s400/IMG_8621.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />This photo of the barn was taken the day before. One of the walk participants, Margaret, who grew up near Herrontown Woods and visited it many times, told of her earliest memory of the preserve. She was walking up from the parking lot, and saw for the first time the bright red barn, surrounded by woods. It's one of many stories told of how the buildings add meaning to people's visits to the woods.<br /><br />Syth told of a photo his parents took of him and his sibling with the barn in the background. When he in turn became a parent, he took a photo of his own sons from the same angle.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TwtD6eZapSo/WQ8Fc-pdUPI/AAAAAAABzEc/be75546DSt4QqqqpdkMIBYd4vFk9vRT_gCKgB/s1600/IMG_8661.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TwtD6eZapSo/WQ8Fc-pdUPI/AAAAAAABzEc/be75546DSt4QqqqpdkMIBYd4vFk9vRT_gCKgB/s320/IMG_8661.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />We headed over to the Veblen House to socialize. It, too, is pegged for demolition, even though it is a solid house with a fascinating history and beautiful woodwork inside, and is said by all architects and builders who have seen it to be unique in its construction and design elements. It doesn't look like much from the outside, but it has a double wall, which means that the tattered exterior wall can be removed like a scab and replaced. Photos from the 1950s show that the original color was a more attractive brown and black two-tone, with ornamental stairway and balconies.<br /><br />While we delved into refreshments and conversation, a robin was feeding its young on a window sill. Our nonprofit is asking Mercer County for a chance to fix up this and the other wonderful structures that the Veblens donated long ago for public use. The robins know a good thing when they see it, and we think we do, too.<br /><br />The photo below, taken several weeks ago, shows how someone planted daffodils to ornament the red barn and corncrib. The flowers were an act of love by those who preceded us at Herrontown Woods. What meaning would they have if the buildings were to be torn down? We need to honor this legacy, so that children in the future can wander into Herrontown Woods for the first time, and be surprised by a bright red barn rising up among the trees.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1QoIbgXlvFc/WQzmVDZ-lOI/AAAAAAABy80/HA8z73UortAamWIbF15fXVAvhq_K1U3fwCKgB/s1600/IMG_8313.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1QoIbgXlvFc/WQzmVDZ-lOI/AAAAAAABy80/HA8z73UortAamWIbF15fXVAvhq_K1U3fwCKgB/s640/IMG_8313.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br />Stephen Hiltnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13814809440369173963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1816131696083685108.post-85030343652039649542017-05-05T04:13:00.000-07:002017-05-05T14:52:49.369-07:00Nature Walks This WeekendThe Friends of Herrontown Woods will host two nature walks this weekend, Saturday and Sunday mornings at 10:30. Saturday is the walk related to Sophie Glovier's newly updated and republished book, "<a href="https://www.facebook.com/Walk-the-Trails-in-and-around-Princeton-288484611593761">Walks Across Princeton</a>". She'll be available for book signing at DR Greenway at 10am, Saturday, and 11:30am at Mountain Lakes House. (If Mercer County allows us to begin repairs on the Veblen House, then eastern Princeton will have a place for booksignings in the future!)<br /><br />For both walks, meet in the Herrontown Woods main parking lot off of Snowden Lane (<a href="http://www.fohw.org/p/maps.html">see map</a>). Its a beautiful time of year, and we may see some rare wildflowers blooming. There may be some wet-but-wonderful spots, so wear appropriate footwear.<br /><br />The photo below is of the 1875 farmstead bought and preserved in 1936 by renowned mathematician, visionary, and Einstein colleague, Oswald Veblen. The Friends of Herrontown Woods is immersed in a campaign to forestall a proposed demolition of this lovely red barn and other buildings donated for public use by the Veblens. Join us to learn more about these structures that add so much to the experience of visiting Herrontown Woods.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zZ-sUOgrHug/WQvgWZVqtII/AAAAAAABy7s/z1Qu9NC9Dgkx-aDU6tM8VqNka8EQlNcMACKgB/s1600/IMG_8621.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zZ-sUOgrHug/WQvgWZVqtII/AAAAAAABy7s/z1Qu9NC9Dgkx-aDU6tM8VqNka8EQlNcMACKgB/s640/IMG_8621.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />Stephen Hiltnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13814809440369173963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1816131696083685108.post-89998993719952756562017-04-28T09:45:00.000-07:002017-04-29T19:42:02.296-07:00Enjoying a Mix of Nature and Culture at Herrontown WoodsSunday's nature walk mixed the serene beneficence of the awakening forest with the charged drama of the county's determination to tear down Veblen House, even after the Friends of Herrontown Woods submitted a <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B277Q_EGwey_bEJ6M053Y3JINVU/view">detailed proposal</a> to begin repairing the house and other buildings donated by the Veblens long ago for public use. We had a surprise special guest for the walk, retired professor Henry Horn, who spoke about the preserve's geology and helped with identification of flora and fauna. We had about 25 on the walk, with only a few days notice, and lots of curiosity about all the plants and creatures encountered.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-i0idOm_0Md8/WP9hWSwDQbI/AAAAAAAByW8/j99ftmOt2JsGh8GcFkTdH7CFuTthteojgCKgB/s1600/IMG_8445.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-i0idOm_0Md8/WP9hWSwDQbI/AAAAAAAByW8/j99ftmOt2JsGh8GcFkTdH7CFuTthteojgCKgB/s640/IMG_8445.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5hFU1E7e5Y0/WQNvDZOCicI/AAAAAAABycc/76R53EIeXB8qiMxJ1ibvEHA3r9LOMCEMACKgB/s1600/IMG_8448.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5hFU1E7e5Y0/WQNvDZOCicI/AAAAAAABycc/76R53EIeXB8qiMxJ1ibvEHA3r9LOMCEMACKgB/s400/IMG_8448.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />We saw the various wildflowers shown in the <a href="http://princetonnaturenotes.blogspot.com/2017/04/a-spring-walk-through-herrontown-woods.html">virtual walk</a> at PrincetonNatureNotes.org, and a <a href="http://jimmccormac.blogspot.com/2011/05/cherry-millipede.html">Sigmoria millipede</a>, which usually smells strongly like black cherry, but did not. That's a wineberry stem in the background.<br /><br />Professor Horn suggested that the millipede may only emit the odor when it feels threatened. I asked if there were any nature haters willing to come forward and hold the millipede in a threatening manner, but none volunteered.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jQ_qGXL_pbA/WP9hWZ--UJI/AAAAAAAByW8/MZ_iZ1tpBZsLKgfXWf4qj1Gm5N2L7-9QQCKgB/s1600/IMG_8454.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jQ_qGXL_pbA/WP9hWZ--UJI/AAAAAAAByW8/MZ_iZ1tpBZsLKgfXWf4qj1Gm5N2L7-9QQCKgB/s400/IMG_8454.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />Afterwards, we gathered near the Veblen House to have cider, chips and cookies, with many discussions about the battle to save the house. Lots of good ideas and leads were offered.<br /><br />Thanks to all who came, and particular thanks to professor Henry Horn for sharing his wealth of knowledge.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wzO-3dQahZM/WP9hWffHckI/AAAAAAAByW8/II83ApTNTGk2rJtpySBh3Mi-sjTuwZKLACKgB/s1600/IMG_8450.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wzO-3dQahZM/WP9hWffHckI/AAAAAAAByW8/II83ApTNTGk2rJtpySBh3Mi-sjTuwZKLACKgB/s640/IMG_8450.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />Stephen Hiltnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13814809440369173963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1816131696083685108.post-19187404894254129002017-04-22T20:26:00.000-07:002017-04-22T20:26:18.934-07:00Spring Wildflower Walk<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DjzPj10JlpA/WPO68wvWPCI/AAAAAAABx1s/GwsqOdIxgakgE_rkmrPxPPoFYRBz-qeGQCKgB/s1600/IMG_8321.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DjzPj10JlpA/WPO68wvWPCI/AAAAAAABx1s/GwsqOdIxgakgE_rkmrPxPPoFYRBz-qeGQCKgB/s400/IMG_8321.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />Friends of Herrontown Woods will host a nature walk this Sunday, April 23, at 2pm. It's Earthday weekend, which is part of Earth Month, Year, Century, and miscellaneous millennia extending out beyond, towards infinite. Earth takes care of people day in and day out. It would be nice if we did the same in return.<br /><br />We'll start at the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.fohw.org/p/maps.html">main parking lot</a>&nbsp;off of Snowden Lane, and walk the red and yellow trails past vernal pools and boulder fields, all graced with wildflowers and the babble of brooks this time of year. Then we'll go past the daffodil-strewn Veblen farmstead and over to the Veblen House grounds for refreshments and to check out the recently planted pawpaws and hazelnuts, which are just budding out. All are invited.<br /><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ebqxpRMqtQw/WPO680I0sxI/AAAAAAABx1s/-hKNtzwu2_4_j32FzryuEi0jZ5tNzxnBQCKgB/s1600/IMG_8313.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ebqxpRMqtQw/WPO680I0sxI/AAAAAAABx1s/-hKNtzwu2_4_j32FzryuEi0jZ5tNzxnBQCKgB/s400/IMG_8313.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />The current owner of these and other historic Herrontown Woods buildings, Mercer County, has taken initial steps that, if not countered, would lead to their demolition. They are in fine shape, remind park visitors of Princeton's farming heritage, and serve as gathering places for events. Our nonprofit, the Friends of Herrontown Woods, has submitted a detailed&nbsp;<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B277Q_EGwey_bEJ6M053Y3JINVU/view?usp=sharing">proposal</a>&nbsp;to acquire and maintain these buildings with the same love and commitment we have shown by taking care of Herrontown Woods for four years.<br /><br />Learn more during the walk, and consider getting involved in this pivotal moment in Herrontown Woods history.</div><div><br /></div>Stephen Hiltnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13814809440369173963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1816131696083685108.post-35025773378613967682017-04-14T06:22:00.000-07:002017-04-17T15:26:33.522-07:00Trail Improvements are a Team Effort<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Sy25NGcUsXM/WPDJMRCdrdI/AAAAAAABxu4/vF-sAiCHVZAC_JTAb36LokMguWnzCTVhQCKgB/s1600/20170410_141445.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Sy25NGcUsXM/WPDJMRCdrdI/AAAAAAABxu4/vF-sAiCHVZAC_JTAb36LokMguWnzCTVhQCKgB/s400/20170410_141445.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><br />Kurt Tazelaar's passion for improving the trails at Herrontown Woods and Autumn Hill Reservation is proving contagious, as he got help this week from Princeton High School junior Dylan Regan. Kurt prefers the permanence of rocks to make wet trails passable in spring. Some of the rocks are a two-man job, even with the help of a cart.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oAQWikncmuY/WPDJMePA65I/AAAAAAABxu4/odHpZah9-b4ksXflnHLcPmdg4OpF6hZFQCKgB/s1600/20170410_153459.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oAQWikncmuY/WPDJMePA65I/AAAAAAABxu4/odHpZah9-b4ksXflnHLcPmdg4OpF6hZFQCKgB/s400/20170410_153459.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><br />Spring, when much of the ground at Herrontown Woods is saturated with water, is the time to look for dryer routes for the Blue and Red Trails on the north side of the preserve. Only through close observation at the wettest time of year do the best routes become evident.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/--GLR3SLP7SY/WPDJMXfOsXI/AAAAAAABxu4/jbtTHN7PWjghVDZ3ksGverucxuNRlp6nwCKgB/s1600/20170410_144348.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/--GLR3SLP7SY/WPDJMXfOsXI/AAAAAAABxu4/jbtTHN7PWjghVDZ3ksGverucxuNRlp6nwCKgB/s400/20170410_144348.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><br />Also helping out were Sally Tazelaar,<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OCs8qVOsNX0/WPDJMTAR2WI/AAAAAAABxu4/yU60H7Ud0SQvIpryrAR8Zf0yLwrDRPhzwCKgB/s1600/20170410_153100.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OCs8qVOsNX0/WPDJMTAR2WI/AAAAAAABxu4/yU60H7Ud0SQvIpryrAR8Zf0yLwrDRPhzwCKgB/s400/20170410_153100.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><br />and Dylan's mother, Inge.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JZ3-Cw_P6bc/WPOhveEIL3I/AAAAAAABx0c/ANyxusXndCEjmUJDm3YKT5D_ggJBJcGnwCKgB/s1600/JensenBergmanTrailwork.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="279" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JZ3-Cw_P6bc/WPOhveEIL3I/AAAAAAABx0c/ANyxusXndCEjmUJDm3YKT5D_ggJBJcGnwCKgB/s320/JensenBergmanTrailwork.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />Friends Theo and Jensen helped out one day as well.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ULl7BFR7Rpo/WPDJMYGzanI/AAAAAAABxu4/4NdTgIXfY2sgcdtRMUvipjsZFg2Qq50HACKgB/s1600/20170410_152211.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ULl7BFR7Rpo/WPDJMYGzanI/AAAAAAABxu4/4NdTgIXfY2sgcdtRMUvipjsZFg2Qq50HACKgB/s400/20170410_152211.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><br />After so much work, it's good to pause for a satisfying moment to survey all that has been accomplished.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/--8U_6Gmp6C8/WPDJMYQN5nI/AAAAAAABxu4/tD0MNzYCUAcLwY9MyoSNDTdIgPYf--S8QCKgB/s1600/20170410_152118.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/--8U_6Gmp6C8/WPDJMYQN5nI/AAAAAAABxu4/tD0MNzYCUAcLwY9MyoSNDTdIgPYf--S8QCKgB/s640/20170410_152118.jpg" width="360" /></a></div><br />FOHW has "boots on the boulder". There should be a museum for boots, whose wear, tear, and water marks tell the story of long labors.Stephen Hiltnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13814809440369173963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1816131696083685108.post-69361771112427206992017-03-31T08:54:00.000-07:002017-03-31T11:24:52.234-07:00JOIN US! -- Hazelnut and Pawpaw Planting This Sunday, April 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-k7qXzfqxrf4/UngJiDfOhlI/AAAAAAAAQdQ/ojIrL_5xS3k/s1600/IMG_2853.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-k7qXzfqxrf4/UngJiDfOhlI/AAAAAAAAQdQ/ojIrL_5xS3k/s400/IMG_2853.JPG" width="305" /></a></div><br />Join us this Sunday, April 2, to help plant some <a href="http://veblenhouse.blogspot.com/2017/03/rescuing-hazelnuts-for-planting-at.html">rescued local native </a><a href="http://veblenhouse.blogspot.com/2017/03/rescuing-hazelnuts-for-planting-at.html">hazelnuts</a>&nbsp;and pawpaws in areas recently cleared of invasive brush near Veblen House. As with <a href="http://veblenhouse.blogspot.com/2016/01/a-pawpaw-patch-is-born.html">the pawpaws planted last year</a>, we'll stake and protect the new plantings with wire fencing. The plantings are part of the envisioned "ecological campus" on the grounds surrounding the Veblen House and Cottage, on the east side of Herrontown Woods.<br /><div><div><br /></div><div><b>We'll also do some cleanup</b>, including mending recent damage to the lawn, where trucks made deep ruts and spilled some road salt. The ruts may prove a good place to plant rescued daffodils.&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tqSLKWtTpng/VzpGiMVP6YI/AAAAAAABhnU/mPTmyWPLOyc9AEkyLCmFpOfjiA57y8bEgCPcB/s1600/Veblen-Herrontown-Box%2B2-small%2Byellow-EV%2B006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tqSLKWtTpng/VzpGiMVP6YI/AAAAAAABhnU/mPTmyWPLOyc9AEkyLCmFpOfjiA57y8bEgCPcB/s400/Veblen-Herrontown-Box%2B2-small%2Byellow-EV%2B006.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Elizabeth Veblen, who generously left the house for public use after she died in 1974, grew up in York, England, and loved daffodils. These photos from 1953 show daffodils in the field where the trucks recently left deep ruts. Sunday, we may begin restoring the field to its historic look.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L_hTW9oNfXk/VzpGhc-FdeI/AAAAAAABhnU/FlHZ9B6CLuAYx7HSlk4LZju003HjIAknQCPcB/s1600/Veblen-Herrontown-Box%2B2-small%2Byellow-EV%2B004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L_hTW9oNfXk/VzpGhc-FdeI/AAAAAAABhnU/FlHZ9B6CLuAYx7HSlk4LZju003HjIAknQCPcB/s400/Veblen-Herrontown-Box%2B2-small%2Byellow-EV%2B004.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>If you'd like to come but can't do the physical work, you can always lend moral support and hear the latest news. We'll have refreshments. Kids welcome. Park down the driveway across the street from 443 Herrontown Rd, or walk up from the Herrontown Woods <a href="http://www.fohw.org/p/maps.html">main parking lot</a>. <br /><br />Ground will likely be moist, so dress accordingly.<br /><br /><b>UPDATE ON OUR PROPOSAL TO ACQUIRE AND REPAIR THE VEBLEN HOUSE AND COTTAGE:</b>&nbsp;Two months ago, the Friends of Herrontown Woods submitted an <a href="http://www.fohw.org/2017/03/fohw-submits-proposal-to-repair-veblen.html">official proposal</a> to Mercer County to acquire and restore the Veblen House and cottage, to create a Veblen Center and ecological campus on the surrounding grounds. In particular, the house is of sound structure with wonderful custom interior. Though we have made great progress restoring the grounds of Veblen House, the county has not as yet given us permission to begin repairs of the buildings. We have submitted the insurance we believe sufficient to handle any liability concerns, so that we can begin repairing the buildings as soon as possible. Having demonstrated our skill and dedication by caring for the 140 acre county-owned Herrontown Woods over the past four years, we are awaiting a county response to our proposal so that we can negotiate a means to put these historic structures on a positive trajectory.</div></div>Stephen Hiltnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13814809440369173963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1816131696083685108.post-61977179997055171042017-03-18T09:25:00.003-07:002017-04-20T09:01:34.008-07:00FOHW Submits Proposal to Repair Veblen Buildings<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YvUFkG_p1GQ/WMyVQo7PBVI/AAAAAAABw2k/iyix1rkQwhksoPAZjahj95FG35OCN9mCwCKgB/s1600/IMG_8026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="325" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YvUFkG_p1GQ/WMyVQo7PBVI/AAAAAAABw2k/iyix1rkQwhksoPAZjahj95FG35OCN9mCwCKgB/s400/IMG_8026.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />The Friends of Herrontown Woods (FOHW) has been busy over the winter. On February 3rd, we proudly submitted to Mercer County a <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B277Q_EGwey_bEJ6M053Y3JINVU/view">proposal</a> to acquire and put to a public purpose the Veblen House, cottage, and farmstead at Herrontown Woods. The document envisions, and details the projected costs of, what will be called the Veblen Center.<br /><br />FOHW volunteers have long wanted to build on their success in restoring trails and habitat on the 140 acre preserve, by directing similar energy and skill to repairing the buildings. Research has revealed the uniqueness of the Veblen House's architecture, the extraordinary lives of those who lived there, and the importance of the buildings for enhancing Princeton's open space and preserving the historic integrity of Herrontown Woods.<br /><br />Proposed first steps are improved weatherization and appearance of the structures, restoration of the grounds, interpretive signage, and events to take advantage of the lovely setting. FOHW is seeking permission from Mercer County to begin repairs prior to acquisition, to demonstrate that the buildings can be saved and put on a positive trajectory after many years of neglect.<br /><br />The proposal describes the importance of this initiative:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">Oswald Veblen was an internationally renowned mathematician whose vision, passion and drive greatly influenced the development of Princeton University and the Institute for Advanced Study. He can also be viewed as the founder of Princeton’s open space movement, not only by donating Princeton’s first dedicated nature preserve, Herrontown Woods, but also through his work to acquire 610 acres for the Institute that later became preserved as the Institute Woods.</blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">The Veblens’ donation of the house and cottage to the public trust should not be viewed as an afterthought. As described in books like Turing’s Cathedral, Oswald’s love of buildings was as strong as his love of land, and can be seen in the opulence of Princeton University’s “utopia for mathematicians”, Old Fine Hall (now called Jones Hall), which he largely designed. When the Institute for Advanced Study was first being formed, Veblen argued strongly, and effectively, for giving the dispersed Institute scholars a permanent physical setting where they could better interact. The Veblen House and cottage can now serve in a similar way, as much needed infrastructure to complement the extraordinary corridor of preserved open space in eastern Princeton.</blockquote>Stephen Hiltnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13814809440369173963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1816131696083685108.post-31881294338043712852016-12-12T08:47:00.002-08:002016-12-12T08:56:01.286-08:00Rocks Rock at Herrontown WoodsOur post-Thanksgiving walk drew a great turnout of 45 people plus pets, as Friends of Herrontown Woods vice president and hydrogeologist Jon Johnson spoke about the magnetite he had discovered in boulders along the ridge. He recruited kids from the crowd as helpers, gave them strong magnets and let them search for magnetic pebbles in the stream. We learned that some rocks in the preserve date back to the dinosaurs, and that he had tracked the magnetite upstream, like a prospector for gold, back to a motherlode near Stone Hill Church.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g3FUirGmWbA/WE16kF0WIEI/AAAAAAABsnA/yHkmjq7MA4kyBkAwe1i8tRr-qbk61eJXACKgB/s1600/IMG_7005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g3FUirGmWbA/WE16kF0WIEI/AAAAAAABsnA/yHkmjq7MA4kyBkAwe1i8tRr-qbk61eJXACKgB/s640/IMG_7005.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>After absorbing this mind-expanding lesson in local geology, we took a brisk walk along the yellow trail, passing the area where large boulders were once quarried. Most hikers then joined us for refreshments and socializing next to the Veblen House. Follow this&nbsp;<a href="http://princetonnaturenotes.blogspot.com/2014/06/the-magnetic-quality-of-herrontown-rocks.html">link</a>&nbsp;for more info about the magnetism.<br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">Please remember the Friends of Herrontown Woods in your holiday giving. We're grateful for your support. <a href="http://www.fohw.org/p/donate_14.html">Click here to make a donation</a>, large or small. </span><br /><br />Stephen Hiltnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13814809440369173963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1816131696083685108.post-24123532421860717612016-11-25T12:43:00.000-08:002016-11-25T12:43:07.533-08:00Nature/Geology Walk This Sunday, Nov. 27<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-I2zCQgdPw-4/U5TLddsWAKI/AAAAAAAAwjg/_q9smpoGM6I/s1600/IMG_2722.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-I2zCQgdPw-4/U5TLddsWAKI/AAAAAAAAwjg/_q9smpoGM6I/s1600/IMG_2722.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />This Sunday at 1pm, we'll gather at Herrontown Woods to 1) be out in the woods on a brisk day and 2) learn something about the magnetite that's found in some of the boulders and streams there. All are welcome.<br /><br />A few years ago, one of our <a href="http://fohw.org/">Friends of Herrontown Woods</a> board members, geologist Jon Johnson, discovered that some of the boulders in Herrontown Woods are magnetic. He tested pebbles in the streambed and tracked the magnetism upstream to its source in some of the boulders on the ridge. It's a bit like prospecting for gold, though no equipment is needed other than a strong magnet. There's a previous post on the subject at this <a href="http://princetonnaturenotes.blogspot.com/2014/06/the-magnetic-quality-of-herrontown-rocks.html">link</a>.<br /><br />We'll also aim to pass by the area where large boulders were quarried at some point in Princeton's history, leaving big holes in the ground where a boulder had been.<br /><br />Meet this Sunday, Nov. 27, at 1pm at the Herrontown Woods parking lot, off Snowden Lane. Maps can be found at&nbsp;<a href="http://www.fohw.org/p/maps.html" style="background-color: white; color: #009eb8; display: inline; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.6px; outline: none; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; transition: 0.3s;">http://www.fohw.org/p/maps. html</a>.<br /><br /><br />Stephen Hiltnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13814809440369173963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1816131696083685108.post-75504880974395985802016-11-11T11:54:00.000-08:002016-11-11T21:16:13.226-08:00Nature Walk at Herrontown Woods: the Color-Coded Forest<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-k7qXzfqxrf4/UngJiDfOhlI/AAAAAAAAQdQ/ojIrL_5xS3k/s1600/IMG_2853.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-k7qXzfqxrf4/UngJiDfOhlI/AAAAAAAAQdQ/ojIrL_5xS3k/s400/IMG_2853.JPG" width="305" /></a></div><br />This Sunday, Nov. 13 at 1pm, join us for a restorative, explorative walk through the remains of autumn color up on the Princeton Ridge at Herrontown Woods. The summer unity of green has given way to diverse expressions of species and self in the color-coded forest. All welcome. <br /><br />Meet at the Herrontown Woods parking lot, off Snowden Lane across from Smoyer Park. Maps at this<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">&nbsp;</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&amp;q=http://www.fohw.org/p/maps.html&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1478979983279000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFx_jN2BzwYC9U6jBIw30BqcSHp1A" href="http://www.fohw.org/p/maps.html" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" target="_blank">link</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">.</span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: small;">This photo of hazelnut is from a 2013 post on the <a href="http://princetonnaturenotes.blogspot.com/2013/11/the-color-coded-forest-natures-halloween.html">color-coded forest</a></span><a href="http://princetonnaturenotes.blogspot.com/2013/11/the-color-coded-forest-natures-halloween.html" style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium;">.</a></span><br /><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></div>Some Herrontown Woods-related posts:<br /><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&amp;q=http://veblenhouse.blogspot.com/2016/10/veblen-house-written-up-in-area-magazine.html&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1478979983279000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEVITBzA3J5QPiAnOEYXuatiUapVA" href="http://veblenhouse.blogspot.com/2016/10/veblen-house-written-up-in-area-magazine.html" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Veblen House Written Up in Area Magazine</a></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&amp;q=http://veblenhouse.blogspot.com/2016/10/early-fall-in-herrontown-woods.html&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1478979983279000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFAM-arzECgpFwwQcwtGlTCnzv7dQ" href="http://veblenhouse.blogspot.com/2016/10/early-fall-in-herrontown-woods.html" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Early Fall in Herrontown Woods</a></div><div><br /></div><br />Stephen Hiltnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13814809440369173963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1816131696083685108.post-75195469526772069152016-09-15T12:16:00.001-07:002016-10-01T07:48:04.694-07:00Mushroom Walk Brings Delight<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WH3jQA8YOEI/V-_JbzeqoLI/AAAAAAABpTo/scMX3kIrPpkq9EU8p6qIBlEd6lYjPsedwCKgB/s1600/IMG_6050.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WH3jQA8YOEI/V-_JbzeqoLI/AAAAAAABpTo/scMX3kIrPpkq9EU8p6qIBlEd6lYjPsedwCKgB/s400/IMG_6050.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />Thanks to Philip Poniz (right) for co-leading our Sunday mushroom walk at Herrontown Woods last week. Peter Ihnat (left) and others also shared their knowledge. The aim was to learn about, rather than harvest, the fungi of the forest. Though the dry (and beautiful) weather limited how many mushrooms showed up for the walk, we visited the cliff, the Veblen cottage, and the "swimming pool", encountering mushrooms along the way, including an impressive, vase-shaped foot-tall "polypore", before heading to the Veblen House grounds for refreshments. Thanks to all who shared their interest and knowledge.Stephen Hiltnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13814809440369173963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1816131696083685108.post-16047779971842811322016-09-15T12:16:00.000-07:002016-09-25T05:36:39.381-07:00Mushroom Walk Sunday, Sept. 25, 2pm<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-orEX8BS1j5g/V-CNDrkwOJI/AAAAAAABoY4/2IRGfLrG3TUiWg0OG7mf_aHzt7q2OgYjgCPcB/s1600/MushroomBrownlee.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-orEX8BS1j5g/V-CNDrkwOJI/AAAAAAABoY4/2IRGfLrG3TUiWg0OG7mf_aHzt7q2OgYjgCPcB/s320/MushroomBrownlee.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><i><br /></i><i><b>Update:</b> The needed rains prior to the walk didn't come, so we have a beautiful day but few mushrooms. Philip will still expound on the subject, but the walk will be more of a general nature and history walk.</i><br /><br />The Friends of Herrontown Woods will host a combination mushroom/nature walk Sunday, Sept. 25, at 2pm, co-led by mushroom expert Philip Poniz and naturalist Steve Hiltner. Mushrooms can be weather-dependent, so the walk may focus on mushrooms or be more general, depending on how many mushrooms show up along the trails.<br /><br />The walk is free, but donations are welcome to support restoration of the natural and cultural heritage of Herrontown Woods, Princeton's first nature preserve.<br /><br />Meet at the Herrontown Woods parking lot, across Snowden Lane from Smoyer Park. Maps can be found at <a href="http://www.fohw.org/p/maps.html">http://www.fohw.org/p/maps. html</a>.Stephen Hiltnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13814809440369173963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1816131696083685108.post-5575547727901064472016-09-04T10:18:00.000-07:002016-09-20T05:24:43.339-07:00Changes: Herrontown Trail MarkersOne longterm goal of the Friends of Herrontown Woods, as it continues to care for both Herrontown Woods and Autumn Hill Reservation, has been to simplify the color coding for trails. As of September, 2016, we now have a fully marked red trail that begins and ends at the main parking lot, and a yellow inner loop that branches off the red trail and features lovely views of the stream, boulder field, and historic quarry sites. The blue trail is now limited to the north side of the pipeline right of way. For those winter and spring seasons when the soil is saturated with water (good for the watershed, not so great for hiking), a trail marked with red and white signs will now provide a way to bypass the wettest parts of the red trail. The red, yellow, blue, and red/white trails are now fully marked. Short connector trails have white markers, and a couple have been closed off to simplify the trail system.<br /><br />The map below illustrates the changes.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-byJnk9rfTe0/V-CNDxlOyWI/AAAAAAABoZE/bSVOroF2k3Y2urCWsE42_wMrCPA0N6cpQCPcB/s1600/HWtrailColors.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-byJnk9rfTe0/V-CNDxlOyWI/AAAAAAABoZE/bSVOroF2k3Y2urCWsE42_wMrCPA0N6cpQCPcB/s640/HWtrailColors.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4FczLgV3i4o/V776aLrhb2I/AAAAAAABmpA/aFEnIqwCtnY5tRWWCB9JO0dQuo1AfAsUgCKgB/s1600/IMG_5432.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4FczLgV3i4o/V776aLrhb2I/AAAAAAABmpA/aFEnIqwCtnY5tRWWCB9JO0dQuo1AfAsUgCKgB/s320/IMG_5432.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />We aim for clarity without becoming too intrusive with signage. Markers vary in height, so when you reach an intersection, give a good look around to figure out which way to go next.<br /><br />Enjoy the trails, and contact us with any feedback.Stephen Hiltnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13814809440369173963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1816131696083685108.post-65719112451641076942016-07-10T07:11:00.000-07:002016-07-10T07:11:45.021-07:00Bringing Back a Lost Tree Species<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-edzM5IRe7LE/VzCeLAyUZOI/AAAAAAABhVc/3Wzz-ucW3Hge_s9KOGEPiYTnRdf64c1ZgCKgB/s1600/butternutVeblenHerrontown.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-edzM5IRe7LE/VzCeLAyUZOI/AAAAAAABhVc/3Wzz-ucW3Hge_s9KOGEPiYTnRdf64c1ZgCKgB/s400/butternutVeblenHerrontown.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />In recent years, the Friends of Herrontown Woods has teamed up with local tree experts to bring back a little known and seldom seen native tree called the butternut. Also called the white walnut, its numbers have dwindled over the past fifty years due to an introduced fungus that causes canker. Just a few persist in Princeton, discovered by Bill Sachs and arborist Bob Wells. This young butternut was grown by Bill Sachs from locally collected nuts, and planted by FOHW members in a clearing near Veblen House.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GliJjtR7QGU/V3U2q-tLeHI/AAAAAAABjFw/VkQlu7UqSz8207Ubj8xNMChWpmnigemMACKgB/s1600/veblen-Butternut-cage.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GliJjtR7QGU/V3U2q-tLeHI/AAAAAAABjFw/VkQlu7UqSz8207Ubj8xNMChWpmnigemMACKgB/s400/veblen-Butternut-cage.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />Maybe the local deer get their news on the internet, because soon after this butternut's photo appeared in a&nbsp;<a href="http://princetonnaturenotes.blogspot.com/2016/05/a-misty-walk-through-herrontown-woods.html">blogpost</a> about Herrontown Woods, its leaves disappeared, prompting us to extend the fencing higher around the tree. Persistence and followup are everything.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6nKfNORphhA/V3U2rAhjx2I/AAAAAAABjGs/QaHqrUTtz_Y3XbGyV33vA288_kZtwGZcQCKgB/s1600/Butternut-deerbrowse.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6nKfNORphhA/V3U2rAhjx2I/AAAAAAABjGs/QaHqrUTtz_Y3XbGyV33vA288_kZtwGZcQCKgB/s400/Butternut-deerbrowse.JPG" width="277" /></a></div><br />Another year or two and the tree will be tall enough to survive without protection.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aTJdcTETGOE/V3U6kahZ2UI/AAAAAAABjGs/FUslAZVuCrcR7bn08J1lPZImVAhZrtqAQCKgB/s1600/ButternutStoneHill-deerbrowse.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aTJdcTETGOE/V3U6kahZ2UI/AAAAAAABjGs/FUslAZVuCrcR7bn08J1lPZImVAhZrtqAQCKgB/s320/ButternutStoneHill-deerbrowse.JPG" width="223" /></a></div><br />When Bob Wells found a butternut growing near Stone Hill Church, a neighbor of Herrontown Woods, FOHW got permission to plant a couple young butternuts near it, to provide cross fertilization. Those saplings, too, would not survive without followup, and the followup probably wouldn't happen if this wasn't a labor of love, which makes one think to take a look and see how they're doing. Leaves eaten but stem still alive.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Z3kdXoD5ons/V3U2ro6dk5I/AAAAAAABjGA/ErnMIwMkIEAGw3KB3qST2XplHptRW-T7gCKgB/s1600/butternut-stonehillchurch-cage.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Z3kdXoD5ons/V3U2ro6dk5I/AAAAAAABjGA/ErnMIwMkIEAGw3KB3qST2XplHptRW-T7gCKgB/s400/butternut-stonehillchurch-cage.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />Some chickenwire laying on the ground nearby proved handy for protecting the resprouts.Stephen Hiltnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13814809440369173963noreply@blogger.com